PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF A LIQUID MIXTURE COMPRISING METHANOL, WATER AND HYDROGEN PEROXIDE

• Main Authors: VAN NEER, Franciscus Johannes Robertus, BERGAMO, Massimo, WEIDENBACH, Meinolf, PARVULESCU, Andrei-Nicolae, SEGERS, Dylan, TELES, Joaquim Henrique, RIEDEL, Dominic
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 01.05.2024
• Subjects: CHEMISTRY; HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS; METALLURGY; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

The present invention relates in a first aspect to a process for the preparation of a liquid mixture comprising methanol, water and hydrogen peroxide, the process comprising: (i) providing a feed stream comprising methanol, and a feed stream comprising an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution; (ii) combining the feed stream comprising the methanol and the feed stream comprising the aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution provided according to (i) at a point in time t1, so that a combined stream comprising methanol, hydrogen peroxide and water is obtained; (iii) filtrating the combined stream obtained according to (ii) at a point in time t2, through a filtration device, thereby obtaining a liquid mixture comprising methanol, hydrogen peroxide and water; wherein the period of time between t1 and t2 is at least 8 seconds. In a second aspect, the invention relates to the use of a liquid mixture obtained or obtainable from the process of the first aspect for the preparation of propylene oxide. A third aspect of the invention is directed to a method for the preparation of propylene oxide comprising: (i) providing a feed stream comprising methanol, a feed stream comprising an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution and a feed stream comprising propylene; (ii) combining the feed stream comprising the methanol and the feed stream comprising the aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution provided according to (i) at a point in time t1, so that a combined stream comprising methanol, hydrogen peroxide and water is obtained; (iii) filtrating the combined stream obtained according to (ii) at a point in time t2, through a filtration device, thereby obtaining a liquid mixture comprising methanol, hydrogen peroxide and water; (iv) combining the feed stream comprising propylene either with the combined stream obtained in (ii) or with the liquid mixture obtained in (iii), thereby obtaining a liquid mixture comprising methanol, hydrogen peroxide, water and propylene; (v) bringing the liquid mixture obtained according to (iv) in an epoxidation zone in contact with an epoxidation catalyst comprising a zeolitic material having a framework structure comprising Si, O, and Ti under epoxidation reaction conditions, thereby obtaining in the epoxidation zone a mixture comprising propylene oxide, methanol and water; wherein the period of time between t1 and t2 are at least 8 seconds. In a fourth aspect, the invention relates to propylene oxide, obtained or obtainable from the method according to the third aspect.